Reliable object detectionalso with LED hall lighting

Improved active ambient light suppression prevents switching errors

With the diffuse reflection sensors of the 3C, 25C, 46C and 49C series, active ambient light suppression was enhanced and the functional reliability thereby greatly increased. The sensors can even withstand direct light from LED hall lighting without causing any erroneous switching.

Object detection in workshops: colliding light beams can lead to switching errors

In production and mounting areas, sensors for object detection are often mounted between the rollers of conveyor belts due to space limitations. It is not possible to install a receiver or reflector in this case. This is why diffuse reflection sensors with background suppression are used. The ceiling lighting has pulsed light. The pulses are not visible to the human eye. When the optics of the installed sensors face the hall ceiling directly, faulty switching may occur when the pulsed light beams collide with the pulsed light beam of the sensor.

Our diffuse reflection sensors have been featuring active ambient light suppression for many years. This function allows the senor to distinguish between ambient light and the light that is reflected by the object. When ambient light is detected, the sent pulses are time-shifted to prevent them from colliding with the pulses of the ceiling light.

High-frequency pulsed light with LED lighting increases the risk of switching errors

Modern LED illumination is increasingly used in production halls for efficiency reasons. In these cases, the light is pulsed significantly faster compared with traditional ceiling lighting, such as neon lights. The previously used process for ambient light suppression is unable to deal with these types of lighting situations.

To meet the new requirements, we have significantly optimized ambient light suppression in the diffuse reflection sensors of the 3C, 25C, 46C and 49C series. These series feature integrated ASIC-based electronics platforms with a high interval and optional, parallel signal processing. This makes it possible to very quickly analyze high-frequency pulsed ambient light and the sensor's reaction to it. The sensor holds off on sending the pulse so that it is sent while the LED light is not pulsing.

Delaying of transmission time by sensor to avoid collisions

Our HF variants are ready today to handle the requirements of the future

We expect that the current trends towards increasing pulse frequency in LED illumination will continue. For this reason, we have already developed variants that can withstand direct, intensive light exposure and whose ambient light suppression is designed for a particularly high pulse frequency (HF).